EMEA News
Monjasa, Others Illegal Bunkering Appeal Dismissed as Lacking in Merit
A Nigerian High Court has dismissed Monjasa DMCC and other parties' appeal of an illegal bunkering charge as lacking in merit, local media reports.
According to reports, the accused had attempted to argue that the court didn’t have jurisdiction because the alleged activities had been carried out in an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), not in official Nigerian territorial waters.
“The instant case is not an abuse of court proceedings,” said Judge Ibrahim Buba.
“The accused has a case to answer and the court has jurisdiction to entertain the case.”
Monjasa was reportedly one of three companies who filed an application for appeal, which also included Glencore Energy UK Limited and the Monjasa-owned vessel MT Anukt Emerald, along with 14 individuals hailing from Russia, Japan, Ukraine and Britain.
The parties were accused earlier this month of illegally storing 1.500 metric tonnes of diesel in the MT Anukt Emerald, along with just over 3000 metric tonnes of Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO) in other tanks by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The parties face a four-count charge of conspiracy and dealing in and storage of petroleum products without lawful authority.
Last week Monjasa said the charges brought against it are baseless, with CEO Anders Østergaard saying "the important thing for me is to stress that there is nothing to this."
